Malik King never thought he would be facing seven years in prison. As a vocational nurse since the age of 19 and a registered nurse since he was 22, the 27-year-old San Diego resident lives the American dream: he drives a nice car, lives in a good neighborhood and goes away on exotic vacations to places like Japan and the Philippines.

On March 9, 2011, King was confronted by California Highway Police as he was driving on the 5 freeway passing through Santa Ana. King was on his way to Venice Beach during the afternoon when police rammed his Mercedes SUV he had just purchased a few months prior. He says officers directed a K-9 dog to attack him in his car. He said he was then tased, beaten and hogtied by police. Police thought the car he was driving was stolen, King said. When police had found out they had made a mistake, he said, charges were filed against him that he says are false.

According to the OC Vision Courts website, King has been charged by the Orange County District Attorney with evading a peace officer/reckless driving, assault with a weapon not a firearm on a peace officer/firefighter, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs and harming an officer’s horse or dog.

When he was told authorities told him they were having trouble getting a copy of the dashboard videos from the police cars, he requested to view the video himself. He brought in his camcorder and tripod to film the video. He said he did it as protection for himself as he was skeptical that he would get a physical copy of the video. King said he posted the video on youtube after he was told the original was destroyed.

The video King took of the viewing of the police dashboard footage can be seen below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTBdlPr-XNw

King said when it became clear that police officers were trying to pull him over, it was only moments before a police car started to hit its front bumper into his front door.

“When they started to hit me with their car, I was afraid and confused,” he said. “Prior to that, I was trying to pull over to a well-populated area. I didn’t know what was going to happen. Then – boom. They just start hitting me. I don’t know what I could have done at that point.”

King said he had put his arms up as a gesture of surrendering to the police.

“I was scared and I didn’t want to get shot, so I instinctively put my arms up,” he said. “The officer didn’t say anything like ‘Come out with your hands up!’ or ‘Freeze!’ like they do in the movies. The first thing he says is ‘the dog!'”

King said a K-9 dog was thrown into his vehicle through the back door. The dog came from behind and attacked him, he said, biting his right arm as an officer tased him from the back while the dog was still on top of him.

“If I did not have my hands up, the taser shot may have well hit my face,” he said. “My inner left bicep where the electrical scar is lines up perfectly with my face when I hold up my arm.”

He said the K-9 dog attack lasted for one minute and thirty seconds until another officer came to his front door and he was tased again with the dog still on top of him.

“My jacket with leather sleeves and wool body jacket saved my life,” he said. “I feel lucky to be alive. If I was wearing a t-shirt, I could have bled to death.”

Photo of King in the back of the CHP car that he obtained through his lawyer

King said he was yanked out of the car, tased once more and beaten, kicked and hogtied. During the point in the video where King alleges the police beat him, he can be heard yelling “help!”

He was taken to jail and unable to use the phone to contact his relatives, he said. His family reported him missing until he was finally able to reach them a few days later. Once he found out about the misdemeanor and felony charges along with $50,000 bail, King said, he felt as if it was an insult to injury.

“I could have died,” he said. “I can see if I had a gun or tried to get out and run but for me to sit there with my hands up with my seatbelt on, what they did to me was excessive force.”

King’s next court date is at the end of January. While he is unsure how or if his video will make it into his case, he said he wanted to show his side of the story publicly to gather support and prove his innocence.

“I am facing seven years in jail,” he said. “I want to let others know what happened to me. The fact this is still going on in 2011, exactly ten years after the Rodney King beating, is tragic. I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone again.”

He has a public defender. Not sure if I understand what you mean by “there’s nothing amazing about it” – do you mean its not surprising that they are slapping on charges after the police found they had made a mistake?

I have almost forty years of poltice reports of arrests by local PDs and CHP. If you have the names of the arresting chippies I would be happy to see if I have any reports authored by them. If I do I would be happy to contact my clients and ask them if they will permit me to share them with you.
I doubt that this fellow will qualify for a public defender in Orange County. He should definitely file a claim with the California Board of Control before the hundred days runs.

A fellow named Veth Mam was grabbed by the Fullerton cop Kenton Hampton, thrown around like a rag doll, trundled up and thrown into the Fullerton jail. His offense? Video recording a confrontation between some drunks and the downtown Fullerton PD goon squad.

He was tried for assault on a peace officer at which trial the cops lied and said they saw him jumping on another cop’s back. Fortunately Mam’s camera survived and a friend kept recording the false arrest. For some reason Rackauckas thought the case was worth trying despite the existence of the video which the DAs office knew all about; of course this is the same useless DA who wouldn’t press charges for sexual assault against the perv-cop Albert Rincon, about whom Rackauckas’ own investigator found a dozen cases of sexual battery against arrested women.

Nothing amazing about cops making up fairy tales and the DA backing them up.

I concur, those same instincts kept me alive and was the reason I failed to initially stop; I feared for my life. And look what occurred after the car stopped; I instinctively kept both my hands up and surrendered, yet my life was still almost taken in the same fashion as Kelly Thomas’s life was taken after he surrendered too, may he rest in tranquility and peace.

While there is not enough in the video to make a judgment either way, I do believe some police take advantage of there positions and power. Maybe even cannot control there adrenaline rush as well. If this man is innocent, I hope and pray the police responsible for this get what they deserve.

Well written, thought provoking, two thumps up! Thank you very much Amber; we all believe you have a very bright future in journalism. Thank you very much, for helping to spread the word for justice and equal rights for all. May you be rewarded for your good deeds. Happy New Years to you and yours. May peace be upon you.

Happy New Years everyone it is 2012 and it is time we all stand up for our civil rights; this incident was a major violation of the fourth and fifteenth amendment. Demand Justice for K-9 brutality victim Malik King,RN.

That picture in the back of the car should be enough to conclude that the cops were depraved. There is absolutely no reason to hogtie another human being. Malik, I hope a judge dismisses everything against you. I hope the officers involved are brought to justice. I hope you receive due compensation.

This may not be a surprise but it is a shame. Seems it’s getting worse. If the police even think a person my have done something wrong that automatically gives them the right to torture and even kill then cover it up to protect themselves. Something must be done. Check out the photo of how they trussed him up “like a turkey”.. NO Need for that.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King “I had a nightmare that four little children hog tied, beat, tased, K-9 attacked, and kicked me in the head until unconscious in a nation where I am judged by the color of my skin, not the content of my character. No justice! No peace! by any means necessary; for the greatest well-being for the most amounts of people. May peace be upon you all”. – Malik Ameen King http://youtu.be/PTBdlPr-XNw

Police brutality is never acceptable. I was about to sign your petition, but aiming your attack at President Obama as your first target really put me off. Is it fair to blame him for your brush with the cops in southern California?

“aiming your attack at President Obama”? The petition is a notification to president Barack Obama, in an attempt to prevent this travesty from occurring to you, or anyone else for that matter. The “attack” occurred in the video, one should view the video before accusatory blaming anyone. Remember who is your president, maintain your respect, and thank you for caring. May peace be upon you.

What an ignorant person you are.
It’s stated you’re driving up the I-5 through Santa Ana when you were rammed by CHP, “trying to pull over to a well-populated area” (Strike one). That IS a well populated area. Perhaps you were wanting to drive to Downtown Los Angeles, or one of NYC’s five boroughs?
— King said when it became clear that police officers were trying to pull him over, it was only moments before a police car started to hit its front bumper into his front door. —
CHP’s PIT maneuver policy is NOT to begin making physical contact with a suspect vehicle “moments” after attempting to pull it over. I’m sure it’s verifiable through the taped audio recording of the pursuit, the timeline specifics of beginning of pursuit, to time of PIT maneuver.
“When they started to hit me with their car, I was afraid and confused.” Your general condition seems to be one of confusion. When you took the California DMV written exam to obtain a driver license (You do have a license, right?), you should have had plenty of studying under your belt of the vehicle code laws. In those, a VERY important law is § 21806 : YIELD … Google that word and the vehicle code to refresh your memory (Strike 2).
You got Tased, bit, and hogtied because you FLED and then RESISTED arrest. (Strike 3).
I could list MANY more gaffes you made on that day and since, but it could take up to 10 pages here.
Bottom line, you have NO business driving a vehicle on public roads. May your license be eternally suspended, and you enjoy your bus pass.